Campo Verde (“Green Countryside”) is Comunidad Connect’s largest program, and the vehicle by which Comunidad Connect dedicates resources to environmental conservation.  Since conservation is such a broad idea, Comunidad Connect has developed several projects, each with its own agenda, but all guided by the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle.  What started with the first Municipal Recycling Program in San Juan del Sur, has grown into this portfolio of projects and initiatives that resembles a movement more than a program. Comunidad Connect is currently expanding the scope of Campo Verde to include new communities through strategic public and private partnerships including the Nicaraguan Ministry of Education, banks, hotels, and coffee farms. By implementing best practices and years of field experience, Campo Verde is beginning to create a national footprint.

Current projects include:

• El Tesón: Local ecological ambassadors lead by example in San Juan del Sur. Daily, they collect garbage and recyclable material on the beach, promote environmental awareness, and sort the collected materials. In October  2011 alone they collected more than 8,000 pounds of waste, including more than 8,000 plastic bottles and more than 7,000 plastic bags.
• Nica Agua: Water filters provide access to safe drinking water for hundreds of rural residents. In return for the filters, the nearly 1,000 beneficiaries have contributed more than 2,000 hours of service to their communities.
• Reusable Bag Campaign: Locally sewn reusable bags have help dozens of families minimize the number of plastic bags that end up in rivers and highways. For each reusable bag, approximately 3 plastic bags are eliminated on a daily basis.
• El Carrizal: In partnership with Casa Llanta, CC supports the residents of El Carrizal through innovative cooperative enterprise projects and English classes.